BATON ROUGE -- There was nothing eventful for former Penn State quarterback Rob Bolden on his first day of practice at LSU. He made some nice throws, some wobbly ones, got a brand new playbook and did no interviews.

GERALD HEBERT / THE TIMES-PICAYUNEFormer Penn State quarterback Rob Bolden practiced with LSU on the Tigers' first day of work Thursday.

Bolden, who transferred to LSU earlier this week after two seasons as a Nittany Lion, was not permitted to speak to the media by Coach Les Miles. But he made a good first impression on his new teammates.

"I met him last night at the team meeting; he's a great guy," said LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger, who is solidly entrenched as the starter. "You can tell he's really smart. There's a reason he started his freshman year under JoePa (Paterno). I'm looking forward to working with him. This team has really embraced him with open arms. He's part of the family now. Hopefully he's willing to come in and work like the rest of us."

Said offensive tackle Chris Faulk: "He's a great guy. He looks like he works hard. He's trying to learn the plays in a short amount of time. He looks like he's ready to play."

Bolden worked in the afternoon session of LSU's split-squad practices. He didn't seem unusually nervous and looked bigger than his 6-foot-4, 214-pound roster listing during the individual passing drill portion of the practice open to the media.

Bolden will benefit from the format by getting extra snaps he probably won't get when the team comes together for full-squad workouts starting Sunday. It's unlikely Bolden would beat out Mettenberger, but he will provide experienced depth once he catches up on terminology, comfort level and knowledge of the plays.

Bolden started 16 games and played in 20 for Penn State the past two seasons. Miles says that gives Bolden something to work with. He was the first freshman quarterback to start a season opener for Penn State in 100 years when he guided the Nittany Lions to a victory against Youngstown State. He lost his starting job later that season after suffering a concussion against Minnesota.

Last season, he started eight games, including the season-ending loss to Houston in the Ticket City Bowl after Paterno had been fired by the university in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.

Bolden was seeking a transfer and contacted LSU a few months ago, before the NCAA handed down severe sanctions, including a four-year bowl ban, scholarship reductions and a $60 million fine. The NCAA granted a waiver to Penn State players who wanted to transfer, making them eligible immediately at their new school.

The LSU coaching staff isn't speeding up Bolden's learning curve, nor is he being brought along slowly.

"It's obvious he has some experience, knows how to handle a huddle, knows what to expect," Miles said.

"You want to give him the whole playbook and see how he plays the plays. If there are things he does better, that's the things you call anyway."

Mettenberger said the competition Bolden brings will make him a better quarterback and do the same for redshirt freshmen Stephen Rivers and Jerrard Randall. But Mettenberger also said the four will work together.

"They don't want to lose their No. 2 and 3 spot," he said. "It will make them work a whole lot harder.

Said wide receiver Russell Shepard: "He comes from a disciplined program, and he's going to be good for this team. He brings more leadership. I've talked to him. He's very mature. He's been a starter and he's been through ups and downs. I'm very impressed with him."

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Jim Kleinpeter can be reached at jkleinpeter@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3405.